When considered from the perspective of the most recent report done by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, PHS sets a high standard.
According to the comprehensive report, “the school is an extremely high performing school with high expectations generated by students themselves, their school, and their parents.”
Yet in that same school, there are students that may be feeling unhappy, frustrated and ostracized. Some of these students have been able to find relief at Millenium High School, PHS’s next door neighbor that focuses on a flexible, personalized and diverse educational environment different from that of PHS. As the second semester begins, the expected wave of newcomers are arriving at MHS and starting a new learning process that may provide a better high school experience.
“I knew I wanted to transfer ever since I was sick of not fitting in and knowing that I wasn’t happy at PHS,” sophomore Mia Kate Hood said, who switched to MHS this semester. “In comparison, Millennium is way better. Of course it’s not for everyone; the learning style is super different in that here you are capable of absolutely anything.”
At the beginning of every year, a small number of out of district students come to MHS, with the number being kept intentionally small in anticipation of the students who will decide to transfer mid-year. The number of students that transfer from PHS to Millennium varies every year, ranging from eight students last year, and 30 students in the 2010-11 school year, according to the most recent WASC report.
“We expect to have half a dozen kids enter at the semester every year,” said English teacher Elise Marks, who teaches at both Millenium and PHS. “One of my freshmen classes had maybe 12 students at the beginning of the year and now it’s up to 17. But we can handle it better because we are designed to be ready for it.”
According to Marks, students are universally pleased with their decision to come to Millenium.
“So often, kids who were miserable there, just flourish here,” Marks said. “They get here and it’s like ‘Ok I think this is going to work for me.’”
Sophomore Cassie Fox-Mount found this to be the case when she switched to Millenium at the start of this year.
“At PHS, I loved the classes but I wasn’t ever in any shape to benefit and learn from them because I was constantly overloaded with homework,” Fox-Mount said. “I was tired and stressed out all the time; I had no down time to do the things I loved, and I felt kind of like a cog in a machine.”
Millennium’s style of teaching differs in various ways from PHS. Classes are about half the size to those of PHS and the classes themselves are all flexible and more relaxed.
“We do much less test based assessment. You can earn points doing class projects, which doesn’t require test-taking skills like Piedmont does,” math teacher Richard Meyers said. “We give students more time to work on assignments in class, we spend less time lecturing and they end up with less homework.”
MHS also has a different credit system: where at PHS 5 credits are earned per semester, at MHS it is done one credit at a time. With each completed unit, the students receive one credit, with a required ten credits accumulated at the end of the year to pass the class.
“At PHS, you pass and get five credits, or flunk and get zero,” Meyers said. “At MHS there’s in-between. There’s different increments that you can earn”
“This really puts you in charge of your education,” Fox-Mount said. “You get back exactly what you put in, so how much you work has a direct effect on your progress in school.”
For many students the educational atmosphere affects the overall culture of the school.
“The entire atmosphere is more relaxed and less competitive than PHS can sometimes be,” Fox-Mount said. “The learning system we implement in American schools is a one-size fits all method, which doesn’t meet the needs of most students, all of whom grow and learn very differently.”
One advantage of Millenium is that it is close to PHS and able to collaborate with the schedule, teachers, and students who take classes at both schools. In this way, Millenium provides a balanced solution for those students seeking alternative learning opportunities.
“Millennium was not founded to be a sort of escape from PHS, its just that since this is such a high-pressure district, it’s great that we have this for the kids who feel frustrated and down on themselves,” Marks said.
Part of the mission of Millennium was to be a diverse community. A place where students not just within this district but from the surrounding area can find an educational system that really works for them, Marks said.
While the decision to switch schools mid-year can be a substantial one, but in regard to overall satisfaction, the overwhelming majority of students surveyed in the 2013 WASC report have said that they were glad they made the change.
“Here, I have been able to fit in perfectly,” Mia Kate Hood said. “It feels like a second home.”
